Immunosuppressed infant baboons develop CC

[harvest_table]

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Collagenous colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. It is fairly common in adult humans, but rare in infants, and has been associated with autoimmune disorders.

METHODS:
We report four infant baboons (age 7-12 months) that had received a transplant at 3 months of age and subsequent immunosuppressive therapy for periods of 4-10 months. All presented identical symptoms within a period of 4 weeks, including weight loss associated with chronic watery diarrhea that was unresponsive to standard antimicrobial treatment.

RESULTS:
Clinical chemistry evaluations were within normal ranges, viral causes were ruled out, and fecal and blood cultures were repeatedly negative. At necropsy, two infant baboons were found to have a form of collagenous colitis. In the remaining two baboons that had identical clinical features, immunosuppressive therapy was discontinued and treatment with budesonide was initiated. Both baboons recovered and remained well on no medication until the end of follow-up (24 months).

CONCLUSIONS:
Collagenous colitis has occasionally been reported in patients with organ transplants. It has been reported only once previously in baboons. The four cases reported here strongly suggest that 1) clinical features as well as histopathological findings of collagenous colitis in baboons are very similar to those in human patients; 2) it was associated with the immunocompromised state of the baboons, as two nonimmunosuppressed age-matched baboons in close proximity did not develop the condition; and 3) it may have had an infectious origin, as all four cases developed within a 4-week period of time. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2012;).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22294413

Interesting, possibly and infectious origin.

[Gloria]

immunosuppressive therapy was discontinued and treatment with budesonide was initiated. Both baboons recovered and remained well on no medication until the end of follow-up (24 months).

I'm interpreting this to mean that immunosuppressive therapy doesn't help and in fact may cause MC, but budesonide (Entocort) helped the baboons to recover and eventually stop all medication. Azathioprine (Imuran) is an immunosuppressive drug. Is the logical conclusion that Entocort is safe to use for treating MC, but Imuran is not?

Gloria

[tex]

Gloria,

Remember Rose? She was taking Remicade, (I think - at least she was taking one of the anti-TNF medications), to treat psoriatic arthritis. It controlled the PA, but every time she received an infusion of the drug, it made her D worse, and she was never able to achieve remission, despite a very strict, very restrictive diet.

I couldn't persuade her to try to do without the drug for a while, to verify that it was the cause of her D. I'm convinced that it was, but apparently, she preferred D to the PA. I believe that if she had given it time, the diet would have controlled her psoriatic arthritis, also, but it never had a chance, because the anti-TNF drug overwhelmed it, to prevent normalization/healing of the gut.

Imuran may not cause MC for some people, because it's not as potent as the anti-TNF drugs, and I get the impression that when it's used, it's only used to suppress the immune system enough to get the effect desired, whereas the anti-TNF drugs do a much more complete suppression job. Or maybe the couple of members that have used Imuran successfully, were just lucky exceptions to the rule.

This research project supports my long-term claim that MC is not associated with an overactive immune system, as so many people believe - it's associated with an underactive immune system.

Tex